Pechiney bolsters global aluminum production

Paris-based Aluminum giant Pechiney has won several production contracts, which will boost capacity at several major smelters.

Output at Aluminum Bahrain, in Alba, will be increased by 308,000 tons. At BHP-Billiton’s smelter at Hillside in South Africa, production will increase by 132,000 tons. Moreover, Aluminerie Alouette, a smelter near Sept-les, Que., using Pechiney’s proprietary electrolysis technology, will see a rise of 302,000 tons.

These increases are in addition to projects in the development stage, such as Mozal 2, a BHP-Billiton site in Mozambique, where capacity will be doubled using new technology. Pechiney will also modify an anode-baking furnace at the VAW Kurri Kurri smelter in Australia.

Pechiney’s core businesses are aluminum and packaging. The company achieved sales of US$11 billion in 2001 with 34,500 employees.